Chinook's American Garage offering scholarship opportunities to graduating seniors

Press release

American Garage in Chinook is again offering two $500 scholarships to Blaine County students who are going into an automotive trade.

Owners Scott and Heather DePriest said they believe in the value of serving their communities and they are proud to once again.

Several years after American Garage opened in 2006, they started a Bike Giveaway Program at Chinook Elementary School to encourage area youth to excel through promoting good grades and attendance. The business gave away more than $8,000 in bikes to area youth. In 2020, COVID disrupted that program and the DePriests decided to shift their focus to reward students who were entering into the automotive field after high school, something the DePriests feel very passionate about promoting.

As part of that commitment, they became involved in various organizations to promote the trades and they strongly support training programs that encourage the development of automotive technicians in the industry, something that has seen a decline in college students entering the field.

According to Fox News, about half the number of automotive mechanics needed are coming out of technical colleges and training programs every year. Across the nation, auto repair facilities are struggling to find trained mechanics. Seasoned technicians are retiring at an increased rate, posing a challenge for shops trying to fill vacant positions.

According to the National Automobile Dealer Association, around 76,000 auto mechanic positions open up every year, compared to only 39,000 students coming out of technical colleges or training programs. These are just a few reasons that American Garage believes in promoting the automotive fields as a whole, the DePriests said.

People are asked to encourage eligble students looking to enter the automotive field to apply for the scholarships. Scholarship applications are open to any 2024 graduating senior in Blaine County from schools in Chinook, Turner, Harlem and Hays who are looking to enter the automotive field. Some of the fields that qualify are automotive technology, automotive mechanics, diesel mechanics, automotive engineering, alternative energy for automotives, automotive mechanical design and collision/auto body.

The deadline to submit applications is May 1, and it is an easy, two-page app that can be accessed on their website at https://americangarage.com/scholarships .

Any graduating senior from Blaine County who will be entering college in a career related to automotive is encouraged to apply.